By Rachel Graubart
After several months of debate, it has been decided by the administration that the school will have a new mascot to represent the Hillers, in order to boost school spirit. The proposed mascot will be a large green hill, whose name will be decided by a poll on HHS Press. “I believe that having a visual representation of the Hillers will be a good way to increase our school’s morale, both on the sports field and in the classroom,” stated Principal Alyson Geary.

Many sports coaches have argued in favor of the mascot, as well. One coach remarked that, “Many successful sports teams benefit from the boost in spirit that comes from having a mascot. Hopefully, having a mascot will get more people to come out to cheer our teams on.”

Some opposed the mascot because they felt having the character at sporting events would be distracting, and could impact the sports’ budget. One opponent of the mascot noted that, “We haven’t had a mascot for a long time, and our students have been doing well. We’ve won plenty of sports titles without the help of a mascot.”

In the end, it was determined that students, in order to avoid the expense of having it professionally made and provide a creative opportunity, would build the mascot. Also, many sports games already feature the cheerleaders and are heavily attended by enthusiastic fans. So adding a mascot would not be that much more distracting.

Up to this point, only the administration and a few staff members have been involved in the mascot creation process. Geary said, “I want our new mascot to truly be representative of our student body. I would like to see the students as involved as possible in this process.”

A poll will be hosted by HHS Press to decide on the new mascot’s name. Some projected names have been Hilly, Mr. Hiller, Hank, Henry, and Hillerman. Students are encouraged to post their name suggestions in the comments section of this article.